PhuThai Esarn is a Thai restaurant at 35 Cambridge Terrace in Te Aro, on the main route between the Basin Reserve end of town and Courtenay Place. "Esarn" refers to the north-eastern region of Thailand, and the restaurant describes its cooking as authentic North and North-Eastern Thai cuisine.
### Cuisine and menu
The menu is broad and organised by appetisers, soups, curries, rice and noodle dishes, stir-fries, hot plates, seafood specials, a dedicated Esarn section, vegetarian dishes and desserts. Dishes named on the restaurant's own menu include Karee Puff, Toong Thong, Thai fish cakes and chicken satay among the appetisers; Green, Red, Panaeng, Mussaman and Red Duck curries; Pad Thai and Pad See Yew; and hot-plate items such as Lamb ka-ta ron and Pad Cha Ta-ley. The Esarn section carries Som-tam carrot salad, Nam-tok beef, Larb and Larb Ped, Yum Seafood and "fired pot" soups including Tom Yum Gai and Tom Sab Neur. Seafood specials extend to whole-fish preparations such as Pla rad Prik and Pla sa-mune Prai. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan items are marked throughout, and there is a substantial dedicated vegetarian list built around tofu.
The restaurant runs a $19 lunch offer Monday to Friday. In August 2026 it entered Wellington On a Plate for the first time with The Emerald Thai Tale, a green-curry-marinated wagyu burger available at both lunch and dinner.
### Licensing, hours and bookings
PhuThai Esarn is licensed and BYO. It is open seven days: Monday to Friday from noon to 2.30pm and from 5pm until late, and Saturday and Sunday from 5pm until late. Online booking and enquiry forms are available on the site, alongside click-and-collect and delivery. Gift vouchers are sold through the restaurant's booking platform.
### Groups and functions
The restaurant actively invites enquiries for birthdays, work functions and private parties through its booking form. No published seating or function capacity is stated, so organisers should confirm numbers and any exclusive-use arrangement directly.
### Recognition
PhuThai Esarn was awarded Best Thai Restaurant in Wellington for 2018 by Capital Magazine, and previously won Best Thai Restaurant in the Capital Times Best of Wellington readers' poll in 2011 and 2012, having placed in the top three in 2010. The Dominion Post published a positive review by critic David Burton in 2012 and featured the restaurant in its "My Favourite Table" column.
### MICE suitability
The Cambridge Terrace location suits delegate dining and team dinners for groups based around Courtenay Place, Cambridge and Kent Terraces, and the eastern edge of the CBD. The seven-day trading, licensed and BYO status, weekday lunch pricing and stated willingness to take work functions make it a reasonable option for informal business dinners and incentive group meals. Further Wellington restaurants are listed for comparison.
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